Actors Who Dropped Out Of School

Goldberg dropped out of school at 16 during a troubled youth that included a series of dead-end jobs and a drug addiction. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for IMG)

Al Pacino

Bronx-native Al Pacino dropped out of school at the age of 17. He got his start on the New York stage to which he occasionally returns, including a recent stint in "The Merchant of Venice” on Broadway. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Charlize Theron

Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron, a native of South Africa, left school when she was 16 and moved to Hollywood with her mother to pursue a career in film. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Cher

Actress and singer Cher (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)

Demi Moore

Actress Demi Moore was born in New Mexico but moved several times with her family during her childhood and quit school at 16 to work as a pin-up-girl. At 19, she found success as a regular on “General Hospital.” (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

Ewan McGregor

Scottish-born Ewan McGregor left school, with his parents’ encouragement, when he was 16 to join The Perth Repertory Theater. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Jim Carrey

Funnyman Jim Carrey grew up in Canada where his family spent several months living in their car. He dropped out of high school as a teenager to work full-time. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

Johnny Depp

Depp may be one of the hottest stars on the planet, but he’s missing a high school diploma. Depp dropped out of school when he was 15 with dreams of becoming a rock musician. (Photo credit: GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

John Travolta

Travolta dropped out of school at 16 to move to New York and pursue acting and modeling full time. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for Fiore Films)

Jude Law

London-born actor Jude Law dropped out of school at 17 to star in a British soap opera. (Photo credit should read DIETER NAGL/AFP/Getty Images)

Keanu Reeves

Actor Keanu Reeves was born in Beirut and grew up in New York and Toronto. An ice hockey star as a teen, he dropped out of school to pursue acting. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)

Sir Michael Caine

The Oscar winner dropped out of school at 15 to work full-time. (Photo credit: MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images)

Nicole Kidman

Actress Nicole Kidman dropped out of school in Australia to pursue acting full time. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images)

Rene Russo

Russo left school in 10th grade to help her struggling single mother. (Photo credit: GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Robert De Niro

De Niro, who grew up in Little Italy, quit high school to join a street gang. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)

Roseanne Barr

Barr dropped out of school at 17 and married young. She broke into show business doing stand-up comedy at the restaurant where she worked as a dishwasher. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

Russel Crowe

Crowe was a child TV star in his native Australia and dropped out of school to pursue show business. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

Uma Thurman

The Boston-born daughter of a Buddhist scholar and a European model left boarding school at 15 to pursue acting full-time. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)